The Washington Football team surprised the entire NFL last season on the field and off.  Not only did they change their name but changed their fortunes in the NFC East by winning the division on the backs of their strong defense. Rookie RB Antonio Gibson showed flashes of stardom, and second-year stud WR Terry McLaurin dealt with a carousel of QBs the entire season. For the first time in years, we are not just drafting but TARGETING Washington football players in Fantasy Football. Let’s get it.

I love Antonio Gibson. As an NFL fan, a homer, and a fantasy football player.  He was a WR in college and converted to RB with Washington in his rookie season. He is a late first-round/early second-round pick with top-five upside. With a full offseason training under his belt and another year to learn Scott Turner's offense, Gibson is going to be an absolute BEAST this season. We saw how Christian McCaffrey shined in Scott Turner’s offense in Carolina and we should expect Gibson to play that role in DC. Yes, Gibson is not going to produce like McCaffrey BUT the ceiling to do so is there. He will be more involved in passing situations which was taken from him by J.D. McKissic last year but that was due to the check-down Charlies Washington had at the QB position in 2020.  A strong defense will also help Gibson because with the lead late in games, Washington will look to run out the clock by pounding the rock. The team’s offensive line finished sixth in 2020 according to PFF but lost their starting right tackle, Morgan Moses, to the NY Jets. Washington addressed that need by drafting Sam Cosmi in the second round in the 2021 draft and he will fill that void created by Moses. Pending everyone stays healthy, the Washington O-Line will be a top unit again helping Gibson even more on the ground.

The biggest offseason addition the Football team made was bringing in QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Last season the Football Team started Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Alex Smith, and Taylor Heinecke and had zero QB stability.  That changes in 2021 and will benefit all the offensive pieces, especially Terry McLaurin.  He is a solid WR1 and the perfect player to take in the third round if you go RB/RB in the first two rounds.  Even with the inconsistency at QB, McLaurin had 1,118 yards receiving last year but only four touchdowns.  When you look at McLaurin’s average depth of target (aDOT) last season it was only 9.3 compared to 14 from his rookie season. With Fitzpatrick under center, he finally has a QB that will throw the ball downfield to him which will lead to an increase in yards & touchdowns this season.

Another one of Washington’s big offseason acquisitions was WR Curtis Samuel from the Carolina Panthers. He will be the team’s WR2 and is worth a late-round draft pick but the problem with Samuel is he has been hindered by a groin injury all offseason and has seen limited/no practice or work with the offense this summer. This has given opportunities to Adam Humphries to run with the first team in practices and has great chemistry with Fitzpatrick already from their times together in Tampa Bay.  If Samuel is not 100% or gets hurt during the season then Humphries will be a popular target for Fitzpatrick out of the slot and especially on third downs.

Who isn’t a fan of Logan Thomas? Like seriously. The guy is a converted QB playing the TE position and is an athletic freak. He was also tied for fourth-most red zone targets (17) amongst tight ends last year and could lead Washington in TD receptions in 2021. He is a great value at the TE position and is poised to repeat a Top-10 fantasy season at the position with Fitzpatrick as the QB.  

Draft the Washington defense in Fantasy. Don’t overthink it.  They will be the No. 1 scoring defense in Fantasy Football, and if they are not, I will take a pie to the face.

Bonus:
WFT to win the Division is +230. That’s incredible value and pounce on it now.